(Source X)
In July, Delhi Capitals and Ricky Ponting ended their seven-year partnership, which began when Ponting took over as head coach in 2018. Parth Jindal, a co-owner of the franchise, indicated that the team is now seeking an Indian coach to focus on scouting and nurturing local talent—an area Ponting was unable to emphasize. Ponting himself acknowledged the shift in the team’s direction, conceding that he might not have been the best fit for their evolving needs.
Despite this, the 49-year-old Ponting is keen on returning to the IPL in 2025. With several franchises on the lookout for new coaching talent, Ponting could be a strong candidate for one of these roles. Prior to his stint with the Delhi Capitals, Ponting had managed the Mumbai Indians, a role he held until Mahela Jayawardene took over.
“I’d love to coach again in the IPL. I’ve had a great time every year that I’ve been involved, whether that was in the early days as a player or the couple of years I had at Mumbai as head coach there. And then I’ve had seven seasons at Delhi, which unfortunately didn’t really work out. I think me going there was all about trying to bring some silverware to the team and that didn’t happen,” Ponting said in the latest episode of the ICC Review.
“They made it pretty clear that they wanted to head in a different direction with someone that could give them a bit more time and a bit more availability through the off-season, really more than anything to be able to spend a bit more time in India with a lot of the local players. I just couldn’t do that with the other stuff that I’ve got going on. I think what you’ll find is that they’ll probably end up with an Indian-based head coach,” he added.
Ponting expressed his gratitude to Delhi Capitals for the opportunity to work with the franchise and its many outstanding players over the years. He extended his best wishes for the team’s future and mentioned that he remains open to coaching an IPL team again in the future.
“I wish them all the very best but as I said there could be a few opportunities for me popping up in the next couple of months and I’d love to be back coaching in the IPL again next season,” Ponting said.
